


Second Choice

by inspiredbythemusic



Series: NCT 127 Drabbles [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:47:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25543858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inspiredbythemusic/pseuds/inspiredbythemusic
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Original Female Character(s), Mark Lee (NCT)/Reader
Series: NCT 127 Drabbles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850926
Kudos: 6





	Second Choice

As you opened the door to your dorm, you groaned your roommate’s name loudly, hoping she was back from her photography class. “El! Are you here? I have to tell you the worst news ever.”

Were you overreacting? Probably. But if you can’t be a total drama queen with your roommate, then what’s the point of splitting the rent?

“I’m in here!”

You followed her voice into the living room. You weren’t surprised that Ten was there. After months of shamelessly pining after El, Ten’s feelings were finally reciprocated, and it seemed that they were determined to make up for the lost time by joining at the hip. 

You didn’t mind. Aside from being Ten’s biggest advocate during the period of pining, you valued his insight into your problems as much as you valued El’s opinions. They each possessed a remarkable knack for objectivity, and together they helped you navigate through every figurative storm. 

So you flung your backpack down next to the TV and turned toward them, your predicament ready to roll off your tongue, but you stuttered as you took in the sight before you. El laid across the small peach-toned two-person couch in an elegant pose you had only briefly beheld in that Art Appreciation class you took freshman year. 

There wasn’t anything outright explicit in her appearance or in the way Ten’s stare lingered on her each time he looked up from his sketchbook, which you noticed also contained El’s form, so why did you squirm away from the unspoken intimacy of the moment?

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Ten asked without looking away from his art or his model. That was another of El’s and Ten’s superpowers: the ability to read the energy of a room and somehow set it at ease. 

Instantly your discomfort was replaced by a playful smile. “Yeah– I didn’t realize I’d be coming home to a Titanic reenactment.”

At your remark, Ten’s ears burned a deep maroon, and his gaze flinched from El to his sketch, and he tried to bite back a smile. 

Only a little less bashful than her boyfriend, El tugged at her shirt and retorted, “Hey! I’m fully covered!”

Maybe too embarrassed to continue his project in front of you, Ten cleared his throat, announced that he was done for the day, and closed the sketchbook. 

Before you could apologize for unintentionally discouraging his creativity, El sat upright and asked, “Well, Y/N, what’s the terrible news?”

Zipping the sketchbook in his bookbag, Ten teased, “Is it, by chance, related to your crush on Lucas?”

Your jaw dropped, and Ten’s smile grew as he sank into the small space next to El on the couch. You accused, “I swear you’re psychic.”

“So,” El leaned forward, peering at you curiously, “what happened? Did you ask him to come to the party with you as your date?" 

You were grateful for El’s perceptiveness because it meant you wouldn’t have to fully detail the cause of the weight in your heart. While you had been looking forward to the department-wide party celebrating the publication of El’s short stories at least partially because of the opportunity to finally act on your Lucas crush, that excitement had been overwhelmed by dejection. 

"Well, I would have, but I overheard him talking about how he already asked his dream girl.” Your voice shrank until it was barely a whisper. To avoid El’s and Ten’s sympathetic frowns, you stared down at your sneakers.

El whined, “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

You forced a smile while promising, “Of course I’m still going to the party. I don’t need a date.”

“I applaud your independence-” Ten clapped. “But if you want a date, my roommate–”

El joined you in groaning aloud. 

“This again!”

“Ten, baby,” El reached for Ten’s hand delicately as she reminded, “Y/N has rejected Mark at least fifteen times.”

And for the sixteenth time, Ten defensively replied, “He’s a really good guy, Eleven!”

While you and El shared a cringe at Ten’s recently invented nickname, he laughed stiffly. 

El conceded, “I know Mark is a good guy–” she glanced at you as she explained, “He’s really sweet, even if he is a bit strange.” And she turned back to Ten to conclude, “But it’s a little cruel to keep forcing him on Y/N when she’s not interested.”

Ten looked at you and huffed, “I’m not saying you should get married or even go out. I’m just saying, Mark needs a date. He has a mega-huge crush on you, but he’s not the kind of guy who makes moves.”

Hearing Ten speak so fondly about his friend made you feel bad about dismissing Mark with so little thought on so many occasions. Sinking with guilt, you decided, “I’ll go to the party with Mark, but only if he really wants to.”

You should have expected that Mark would really want to go to the party with you. Although you couldn’t quite imagine why, especially after you rejected him so many times, Mark liked you more than anybody else ever had. You couldn’t have expected that he would be so… so… well, there was no other word for him than nice.

Granted, you only knew Mark from crowded gatherings where he was unfailingly the center of every joke, so you shouldn’t have assumed to know anything about him. You shouldn’t have been surprised that, despite being the kind of person who would giggle in complete silence, he was also the kind of boy who held doors open for you and offered you his arm when you were unsteady in your heels and offered to get your food and drink so you wouldn’t have to miss conversation with any of your friends.

You shouldn’t have been surprised when he walked away from the party to find you falling asleep in a corner of the banquet hall– but you were. 

“I can drive you back to your dorm if you’re tired,” he said although you imagined he would rather participate in the impromptu rap battle at the center of the room. 

“Oh, no.” You snapped awake and offered him a small smile. “Sorry– midterms kind of wiped me out, but I’m okay!”

“Oh. Well, good.” You expected Mark to run off at the earliest opportunity, but he sank into the chair next to you and said quietly, “You know, I’m really sorry you didn’t get to come to the party with Lucas.” 

You gawked at him. “Who told you–”

Your voice fell flat before you could finish the question. Your crush on Lucas was obvious, and it was probably more obvious that you agreed to come to the party with Mark only at Ten’s urging. 

All you could do was apologize to Mark when you noticed the uncharacteristic frown tugging at his lips. You had been wrong to reject him– wrong to dismiss him as an annoying guy who joked too much– and you were truly sorry. 

“I’ve had a good time with you, Mark,” you said, easily pushing your pride aside. “And I’m really sorry I didn’t agree to go out with you earlier.”

He looked up from the spot on the table his gaze had been fixed upon to beam at you. “Really? Well– Y/N, I don’t mind being your second choice.”

You shook your head at his remark and nudged him disapprovingly. “Don’t say stuff like that. You deserve better than being anyone’s second choice.”

Mark was speechless for the first time that evening– maybe for the first time in his life– as he grappled with how to ask, “Do you think– do you think I could ever be your first choice?”

Not fully trusting yourself to work through your budding interest in Mark right in front of him, you simply nodded. 


End file.
